


Not Alone

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Jericho (US 2006)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Spoilers for "Why We Fight." Written before season two aired so was mostly speculation.
Relationships: Jake Green & Heather Lisinski





	Not Alone

Heather stood at the stove, stirring the rice with a wooden spoon and frowning a little. Cooking had never really been her strong suit and she began to second-guess herself--again--over the reasons behind inviting a certain someone over for dinner.

She chewed her lower lip uncertainly, her eyes widening when she heard a loud knock on the door.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She wasn't even close to ready.

"Just breathe," she mumbled, putting the lid on the pot of rice and setting the spoon down before heading toward the front door. She forced a bright smile as she pulled it open. "You're ear--" she began.

Jake Green stood before her, his shoulders slumped, his eyes downcast.

Dread knotted her stomach. "Jake? What's wrong?"

"Can I come in?

She stepped aside wordlessly and let him in, shutting the door behind him. She watched as he slowly moved over to the sofa and sat down, not looking at her.

Heather had only been back for a few weeks and it had been at least a week and a half since she'd actually seen him. She knew he'd been busy. Gray Anderson was still technically the town's mayor, but everyone, Gray included, knew who was really in charge.

On top of that, she had been pulling long shifts wherever she was needed most on any particular day--the mine, the med center, the school, working with Colonel Hoffman, or playing mediator between Jericho and New Bern.

Rebuilding was proving to be incredibly tedious and time-consuming for everyone in the town.

"Jake?" Her voice was hesitant.

He still didn't look up. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this."

Heather paused, gazing at him a moment before crossing the room and sitting down beside him.

"This isn't who I am. I'm not my father."

"No," she agreed quietly. "You're Jake."

"And Jake is the town screw-up." He let out a breath.

"Hey. You're being too hard on yourself."

"Not even close. I've done things...unforgivable things."

"Nothing's unforgivable."

"You don't know the things I've done or you wouldn't say that."

"You're right. I don't know the things you've done. And I don't have to know your past to see what kind of person you are now. Jake, you're a good man. You've kept this town on its feet. You've saved countless lives--"

"I haven't done that alone." He finally raised his head to look at her.

"And you're not alone." She rested a hand on his arm. "And no one expects you to do everything yourself."

Jake met her eyes and gazed at her for a long, silent moment.

She shifted a little, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She dropped her gaze and let her hand slide down off Jake’s arm and into her lap.

"You look nice," he said, catching her off-guard.

Heather glanced down at the sleeveless sundress she was wearing and blushed. "Thanks."

She slowly rose to her feet.

He regarded her momentarily. "Were you expecting company?"

Her blush deepened. Okay, awkward, she thought. "Actually…yeah. Colonel Hoffman's coming for dinner. We're going to discuss the wind turbine designs."

"I see." His voice was carefully neutral. "I guess I should take off then."

She turned to face him. "Uh, do you wanna stay?"

Jake smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "No. Don't wanna be a third wheel."

She frowned and started to reply, but a knock on the door cut her off.

"Have a good dinner," he said quietly, turning and heading for the door.

"Jake."

He paused and then turned to look at her once more.

"Don't be a stranger."

He offered her a lopsided smile. "Ditto."

Heather watched as he opened the door, greeted Colonel Hoffman, and disappeared into the night.


End file.
